February Races that Weren't...Part 3

On February 22, I attempted (see here) to run the Parker Valentine's Day 5k race. There were a few problems-- namely I forgot my shoes, I slipped in ice, and I lost the course. Bad stuff happens in threes, so they say...so I decided to cut my losses, and take my cold and soggy-bummed self home.

This nature preserve goes right up to backyards.

I checked on my phone GPS the route I was going to take home, and I noticed that there was a small "Ecological Park" on the way. I thought, vhat ees dees? And pulled off when I saw the parking area. It turned out it was part of the Cherry Creek Regional Trail (which is an awesome paved bike and running path that goes through the city of Denver) and a nature preserve. I will write a post at a later date with more of my pictures and my observations-- but this post is about the race that wasn't.

Since I was wearing my expensive (and slightly amazing) New Balance Lightning Dry pants, I realized that my bum was basically dry from having slipped in ice about 20 minutes before. I decided, you know? I wanted to run a 5k today. So what if I don't cross a finish line? I'll measure this bad boy and run a 5k here instead.

The clouds cleared up a little and I saw some people walking their dogs, running, and biking along the regional trail. The Ecological Park trail was all my own though! I set my running app and started to go!

Stinky goodwill shoes on a snowy path

Very cool path across the creek-- with deer tracks and natural drainage control

There were wooden bridges, gravel, paved paths, mud, dirt, and snow. There were ducks and geese and what I surmise were bird or bat homes on the underside of a bridge. It was a beautiful nugget of a preserved land practically in the city. I ran my little over 3 miles, so I considered my race well run.

Good work Arapahoe County and Colorado. Keep it natural. I needed this respite!

February Races that Weren't...Part 2

Adorable license plate shirt

My first race of 2014 didn't exactly work out. (See this post.)  I did get the shirt, so that's cool I guess. For my next race, my friend Allyson found this really cute 5k and 10k in Parker, which is about 25 minutes south of Denver, called the "Love 'em or Leave 'em Valentine's Day 5k/10k" in the city of Parker. Once again, I ventured to the "expo" the day before the race to pick up my shirt, number, and any goodies. The volunteers were very friendly; I was happy because I could scope out the path and parking before race day. I scored a 10 minute massage and LOT of mini Larabars and multigrain chips.  Yay for lunch-packing ease!

But oh my goodness, I sure can comically mess up a normal situation. It was rainy during the week, so there was mud and melting snow everywhere. Before I left, I walked Petey Bella in flip-flops because I didn't want to drive in muddy shoes. Once again, I was all prepared. I had my gear: my water bottle, my nuun tablets, my hat, ipod, sunglasses...ready to take on this beautiful day. Oh, did you notice anything missing from that list? Yes, you did. Shoes. One should be prepared for a race with shoes. SHOES!

Blissfully ready to run?

No, you are not ready to run.

I realized this error about 20 minutes before the race was to start. I'm not terribly familiar with any towns and stores around Denver, but especially not Parker. However, there was a silver lining-- Goodwill! I had been through Parker on my way to Castlewood Canyon-- and had to leave early due to torrential rains.  My phone GPS sent me on meandering roads to seemingly absent Target and Wal-mart stores, so I stopped at Goodwill. It was 50% off day, so the place was an absolute zoo. I sprinted to the back of the store, picked up a nice clean paid of Asics...that were a size 5. I hung my head, as only a sad Cinderella could, and picked up a pair of broken-in Swiss Gear trail shoes. They were WAY past their prime, but were my size 8. For 3.99, I was out the door and back on the way to the race. 

I made it to the race, found a parking spot, and saw that the race had already started. There were two different courses-- one for the 5k and one for the 10k. I tightened the laces on somebody else's stinky shoes, took a breath, and decided to go for it. The race had already started, but I was going to give it a shot anyway.  I rounded the first corner, stepped on a puddle of water that in fact turned out to be a sheet of ice, and slipped and crashed on my hand, cutting my palm open. Some nice joggers with a stroller asked if I needed help. 

I came around the next bend and realized that I was on the wrong course. The 10k one, not the 5k. I kept going, looking to see if they intersected and I could get back on the right path. That's when I realized that my hand was throbbing and probably needed to be cleaned, my feet were aching (already) from the ill-fitting shoes, and my bum was wet from slipping in the stupid ice. So I made a choice. The race was called "Love 'em or Leave 'em."

I left 'em.

P.S. What was running through my head as I drove around madly looking for replacement shoes? Katt Williams. Who doesn't bring shoes to a footrace? Me. I mean, Oscar Pistorious has to bring his FEET to a footrace. Glad I at least remembered those. It's NSFW, but it's hilarious...Poor Little Tink Tink. 

February Races That Weren't...Part 1

February has NOT been my running month. It's been difficult to run when it's very cold and damp (Denver doesn't really DO damp; low humidity is a hallmark of this place!) and there's been a lot of melting snow-- which means muddy paths and roads, not to mention ice. I have been to the gym for the treadmill and elliptical and I've been teaching swimming twice a week at the YMCA with my students, so I've been moving, but not necessarily running. (There was a well-intentioned, but poorly executed Tai-Chi class in there too.)  In case you missed it, my dog had a big cancer surgery, so she's been on a limited exercise regimen to help her paw heal. It's hard to keep a 65 pound beast who wants to run calm and still-- especially when you want to run with her!

Ready to run...

What was my solution? Sign up for races! Everyone has their own motivation for fitness, but money is definitely one for me. If I sign up for a race, I think about that money being out of my account and I want to make it worth it! I started with the Ralston 5k/Half Marathon in Arvada, Colorado. It's about 30 minutes west of Denver and I went to the packet pickup the evening before at the Runner's Roost store. I got horribly lost getting there, called the store and got a snarky response from the worker there. I stopped my car, cried, called my friend Dan, cussed a little, then pulled on my big-girl pants and found the damn store to get my number and shirt. 

The weather forecast was cold. Early February in Colorado could go either way with the weather-- sunny and clear, or snowy and windy. It had been below freezing all week, but was supposed to warm up to the 40's. It was actually in the 20's on the morning of the race.  I had my gear ready-- moisture wicking layers, body glide, hot hands, gloves, hat...the works. 

I went out to hop in the car, and my car wouldn't unlock. The lock was frozen shut. It's a new car (as of December) and only has one key lock and no key fob.  I tried methods I knew that might work, put a plea on facebook for any Northern friends who knew tricks...but nothing worked. I called AAA and they opened my door. It was too late to make it to the race. Bummer. 

My best friend (and biggest running fan) Allyson (and awesome writer) came to the rescue with a few more races she located in the area. I was NOT going to NOT run in February in Denver!

Mustache Dash 5K!

Wish the shirt had Denver or the date...

On November 2, 2013, on a whim, I decided to purchase a groupon for a 5k in Denver. My first race! It wasn’t supposed to have been my first race, because I had signed up for the Atlanta Monster Dash 10k back in July when I attended the Peachtree Road Race Runner’s Expo with my awesome BFF Allyson. A few things transpired between July 3 and November, when the Mustache Dash was scheduled. Namely, I moved from Atlanta to Denver! Then, the Ortho crew cancelled the Monster Dash—which I had planned on flying back from Denver to be able to run in, but I had to fly to Los Angeles for work. Later in the fall, while I was in Salt Lake City for work, I saw a groupon for this little 5k, the Mustache Dash, which was to benefit Movember-- the prostate and male cancer month. I texted a Denver buddy to see if he wanted to give it a shot. He’s a tennis player, so he’s in good shape. I’m a flatlander, and the altitude is BRUTAL here. Mustache-dache, you're on!

We are grumpy about the cold pre-race. 

Fast forward—it was only about 3 weeks from the sign up to the race! I'd been running on the treadmill and using the elliptical at the gym in my apartment complex. I'd done two short runs (about 40 minutes) in a park near my place, but I was not really feeling that great about running. During the summer, Allyson and I were pretty regular about working out at the gym together before the Atlanta heat hit too hard core, but I'd slacked off a lot here. Allyson totally inspired me on this-- her blog, her encouragement, and her living by her goals of running and racing-- it's been monumental to me not being just a couch potato out here!

Ick. Dead critters and guns.

Lots of layers in non-cotton fibers, Body Glide, and sparkly eye shadow.

  Denver also hit a cold snap and it snowed buckets and buckets of snow the Thursday before the Saturday, November 23rd race. We even received an email pushing the start back half an hour so that it would be a little sunnier and hopefully warmer at race time. On Friday night, my friend Michael and I set off to the “expo”—more just a packet pick up at the Bass Pro Shop. Okay. I’m not a “sportsman” type with hunting and fishing. This place had more taxidermied animals than some museums I’ve been to! All the dead critters hanging off the walls were pretty intense to me, but then I had a bunch of Cheddar Bay biscuits at the ultra-healthy Red Lobster around the corner. My stomach was definitely settled by the biscuits. 

I made it home on Friday night and got some of my clothes ready. I read on Jeff Galloway’s website about what to wear in a cold weather race. I got a little bit nervous about that part because it was going to be 18 degrees when the sun came up—possibly warming up to about 30. Between the altitude (meaning I’m much slower here and get side cramps fast!) and the temperature—I really felt like cancelling and going back to bed. But, I had a little cheering crew text stream going on from Atlanta and I was good to go. 

Oh, mountains. I really, really, really am glad I get to see you.

The race was at a place called Central Park in Denver-- it's actually part of Denver called Stapleton. I swear I'll understand all these neighborhoods eventually. It’s actually where the airport used to be located. It’s hard to imagine planes managing around buildings, but I think it’s awesome that some of the buildings from the terminals are still there along with the air traffic control tower. I still catch my breath to see the city skyscrapers juxtaposed against the silhouette of the Rocky Mountains. These mountains just make me really happy.

I started off the race with my buddy, but then I decided against keeping a fast race pace in favor of listening in to people’s conversations, saying hello to people, and enjoying the scenery. I do the “run-walk-run” interval running, so I don’t injure myself here in this altitude. I never thought Atlanta hills were terrible for running in, and comparatively speaking, the hills of Grant Park and Decatur are NOTHING compared to attempting speed here. (To date, I’ve tried running on a trail once. Once.) 

A long queue of folks up to the starting mark-- all mustach-io'ed.

There's snow on the ground! You want me to do anything but go back to bed?!

The air was pretty crisp from the starting line but the crowd thinned to the walkers, the families, the people with strollers, the people with a group who were doing this 5k fun run as a fund raiser for Prostate Cancer research. Did I mention the mustaches? There was a tent where you could put on a temporary tattoo mustache, or draw one on with marker. I’d already drawn my “pirate-stache” on in the car. I was pretty surprised there was anything left of my mustache after the race because I’d had to wipe my nose the whole time from it running. Silly nose thought this was a race it needed to RUN! 

The morning was warming up nicely.

I made sure I followed my friend Allyson's advice and was ready to RUN across the finish line. I walked some of it for sure, ran some of it, and listened to some Florence and the Machine. She’s good running music!

We got chocolate mustaches and protein bars after it was over—I checked in for my time based on the chip thingie in my bib number. It wasn’t fast, but it was my first race. If I got a do-over, I'd make sure my outside layers were easier to remove-- I had pinned my number over the zipper on my jacket. It got a little hot and sweaty. I would probably train more before hand (I did have a few things going on, like work and travel for work conferences!) that would help me to be more ready for the altitude. I was happy with the Body glide coating I had on my chilly toes, though, that's for sure. What can I say, I think I’m hooked!

Enjoy a few pics from the day—it was a good one!

No shave-November for Prostate health. Yikes!! This guy!

Selfie and still happy at mile 2.

Finish line and people waiting around chatting and cheering

The water here with the mountains-- the typical blue Colorado sky-- what a nice day for a race!

Got the medal! Sparkly eyes still sparkly and mustache still intact!